Tearing the Earth

"Aurest, come with me."

"Bring Hart along as well."

Keosius flapped his wings, easily tearing the space in front of him and creating a huge Space Rift. He gestured for the lich to follow and then walked directly into it.

"Yes, Master."

Aurest followed behind, responding timidly in a low voice.

However, seeing the Red Dragon's ferocious smile, he felt that things were not going well—it seemed that every time this "master" showed a smile, there would be a cruel exploitation.

But the lich's Phylactery was in the other party's hands, so he had no choice but to obey orders and follow him into the Space Rift.

Hart, wielding a longsword, entered with Aurest, his eyes filled with wariness as he looked at the lich.

"This should be it."

Keosius looked around, stomped his paw firmly on the ground, and said this.

The sun was about to set, and its golden afterglow spilled across the land. All around was a flat, open wilderness, with towering peaks, wide valleys, and sturdy stone fortresses in the distance.

Two- Wyvern soared through the sky, Lizardmen rode Terrestrial Dragon Beast to graze their livestock on the wasteland, and herds of aurochs were driven towards the pastures.

This is the Storm Highlands.

The place where the Red Dragon originated, the heart of what was once the Ember Nest.

However, this barren wasteland has now become the border region of the empire, existing only as a breeding ground for Wyvern and Terrestrial Dragon Beast, and a pasture for livestock such as aurochs and horned sheep.

The former "Giant's Maw Cave," now the "Giant Dragon Cave," was abandoned after Keosius moved to the palace. It was transformed into a place resembling an altar, with a golden plaque outside that reads "His Former Residence of His Majesty Keosius," and a dozen or so unfortunate Hobgoblin guarding the entrance.

Every morning and evening, hundreds or even thousands of monsters would arrive here on time, kneeling at the cave entrance, throwing in copper coins, and praying that His Majesty would bless them—so that they could become glorious Dragon Blood Noble in the future and obtain a purer bloodline.

"I really miss those days."

"More than a decade has passed in the blink of an eye."

Looking at the transformed wasteland, Keosius was filled with emotion.

Aurest and Hart, the two undead, stood quietly to one side. The lich, catching a glimpse of the Red Dragon's complex emotions out of the corner of his eye, lowered his head, not daring to disturb him in the slightest.

But the lich was utterly shocked upon hearing the other party's casual remark.

More than a decade! This timeframe is as short as a yawn for both liches and dragons.

But judging from the information revealed in his words, this Red Dragon may have only taken a little over ten years to develop to its current state! Thinking of this, Aurest secretly felt fortunate for his choice, as a normal Red Dragon could never grow to this level in such a short period of time.

This time, I've probably found a powerful backer with immense potential, who might even reach the level of a god.

Soon, Keosius's words interrupted the lich's thoughts.

"However, I'm not here to revisit this place; I'm here to take back what's rightfully mine."

"We still need to get down to business."

"Roar--"

The Red Dragon raised its head and roared, then flapped its broad wings and slowly rose into the sky.

Under his control, the boundless power of the [Empire Domain] descended upon this wasteland, causing the Weave within hundreds of miles to tremble.

"This is--"

"What... what is he going to do?"

The lich looked up in horror. As someone equivalent to a necromancer, he also felt the terrifying power of that force.

"Boom!"

With a heavy rumble, the earth trembled, the mountains shook, and almost the entire wasteland began to tremble violently.

Wyvern roared and flapped their wings in terror, flying haphazardly into the sky; aurochs scattered uncontrollably in all directions, trying to escape this dangerous place; even Terrestrial Dragon Beast were clumsily fleeing, emitting muffled groans of panic. The ground, the mountains, the rivers—the entire Storm Highlands, no, the whole world seemed to be shaking.

"This level of fluctuation has already surpassed the ninth ring."

"Yes, it's Legendary Spell! He can cast Legendary Spell! That's a power that was only available in the Netherese Era!"

Aurest felt incredibly fortunate once again; being able to control such a power made destroying him a trivial matter.

"Your Majesty, has he become so powerful?"

Hart muttered to himself.

Then, under the utterly shocked and astonished gazes of the lich and the ghoul—

The earth was torn apart.

A gaping fissure, like a giant mouth, appeared on the flat wasteland.

On both sides are neat cliffs, and below is a bottomless dark Abyss. Scattered pebbles fall from time to time, and it takes a while before you can hear them fall.

Within this fissure, a massive underground cavern was formed. The soil and rocks were sculpted by some force, becoming exceptionally orderly, making the interior of the cavern resemble a man-made hall.

"Alright, come inside with me."

Despite creating such a tremendous stir, Keosius spoke as if recounting a trivial matter.

The Red Dragon flapped its wings and slowly descended into the cave. The lich was stunned for a moment before letting the black mist, which was tinged with Negative Energy, follow closely behind, taking Hart with him.

"Here it is"

The lich was shocked once again.

The cave floor was covered with huge, ancient skeletons—he recognized them as the skeletons of the Azure Foot Dragon Snake.

The ground was littered with all sorts of debris: broken giant statues, ruins of magnificent buildings, illegible inscriptions, tattered books, and old, broken weapons that showed they had been buried by earth and stone but had now been unearthed.

Yes, this is the resting place of Storm Giant Elder Randta, the tomb that was once buried and contained the legacy of the Giant Empire, which was actually dug up by the Red Dragon.

Even someone as wise as Landeta did not anticipate that this unexpected intruder would be so greedy.

He not only stole his "eyes," but also ruthlessly plundered everything he had collected throughout his life, including the ruins of the Giant Empire.

"Did Landeta miss me?"

"I'm back."

Keosius grinned, revealing an endless greed in his pale golden vertical pupils.

He still carries the Storm King's Eye with him, which he obtained at the risk of his life. It was an important piece of equipment that enabled him to start his career. Now that he has returned to this place, he should give this elder a proper "thank you".

However, his way of expressing his gratitude was to ensure that all of the elder's collections were put to good use.

The lich, not far away, stared at the bones scattered all over the ground and unconsciously gripped his scepter tightly—he sensed that something was amiss.

Will it somehow bring all these big guys back to life?